New York, NY (April 16, 2026)—The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce additional readers for this year’s Poetry & the Creative Mind, its annual National Poetry Month benefit and virtual celebration of poetry’s impact on culture and education. Held in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of National Poetry Month, the event will take place on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET and is free with registration.
Newly announced readers include acclaimed soprano Julia Bullock, writer and book critic Dwight Garner, jazz bassist and Grammy Award-winning composer Christian McBride, and singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. The event will be hosted by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Tracy K. Smith and will also feature previously announced participants: Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Louise Erdrich; interdisciplinary artist Coco Fusco; actor and author Nick Offerman; stage and screen actor John Rothman; journalist, author, and former First Lady of California Maria Shriver; U.S. Poet Laureate and Chancellor Emeritus Arthur Sze; National Youth Poet Laureate Evan Wang; and Academy Award–winning director Chloé Zhao.
The live chat during the event will be hosted by poets Kweku Abimbola, Ana Portnoy Brimmer, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Steven Espada Dawson, Diamond Forde, Salaam Green, Gabriel Antonio Reed, and Robin Walter.
“As we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of National Poetry Month, we are thrilled to honor the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation and U.S. Poet Laureate and Chancellor Emeritus Arthur Sze with Leadership Awards in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to American poetry,” said Tess O’Dwyer, Chair of the Board of Directors.
The Academy’s Leadership Award, instituted in 2021, is bestowed to members of the literary community for their service to poets and their support of poetry. The 2026 recipients include the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation and U.S. Poet Laureate and Chancellor Emeritus Arthur Sze.
“Poetry offers us a way to engage with the world, word by word and breath by breath,” said President and Executive Director Robert Casper. “At a moment when connection can feel fragile, poetry reminds us of our shared humanity. We are honored to welcome audiences from around the world to this evening of readings that invite reflection, discovery, and delight.”
Since becoming a virtual event, Poetry & the Creative Mind has welcomed tens of thousands of viewers from around the world. The benefit raises funds for the Academy’s educational programs, which serve more than 250,000 K–12 students each year and provide free poetry resources to teachers through Poets.org.
Registration is free and open to all but is required to access the virtual program. Visit Poets.org/pcm to register. The program will stream live on YouTube, and registered attendees will receive a viewing link by email 24 hours before the event. A recording will not be available after the broadcast. Captioning will be available during the live stream.
National Poetry Month 2026 is made possible in part by Penguin Random House, the Poetry Foundation, and W. W. Norton & Company.
Poetry & the Creative Mind 2026 Readers
- Julia Bullock
- Louise Erdrich
- Coco Fusco
- Dwight Garner
- Christian McBride
- Nick Offerman
- Maggie Rogers
- John Rothman
- Maria Shriver
- Tracy K. Smith (host)
- Arthur Sze
- Evan Wang
- Chloé Zhao
Leadership Award 2026 Honorees
- The Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation
- Arthur Sze
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is a leading publisher of contemporary poetry in the United States. The organization annually awards more than $1.3 million to poets at various stages of their careers through its prize program. It also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides free resources to educators; hosts public poetry programs and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition that promotes the value poets bring to our culture. To learn more about the Academy of American Poets, including its staff, its Board of Directors, and its Board of Chancellors, visit Poets.org.
For more information and requests:
Peggy Ryan, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications
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